Burdened souls retreating to the wilderness in an effort to escape their grief or remorse has become fairly familiar in the world of movies. Yet it’s a trope that I always gravitate to. Aside from the obvious symbolism, there’s just something about the way these movies deal with the human condition that has always moved me (to varying degrees, of course).
The latest film to plant itself in this well-plowed ground is the new thriller “The Girl on the Mountain”. It’s written and directed by Matt Sconce and taken from a story he conceived with Christopher Mejia. It delves into heavier themes of guilt, grief, loneliness, and trauma. Meanwhile gorgeous shots of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains soak into the background like paint on a Bob Ross canvas. Unfortunately the genre elements end up clashing with the deeper human moments despite Sconce’s efforts to keep our emotions in tune with what matters most.
Daniel O’Reilly plays Jack Ward, a former classical music conductor haunted by a crushing family trauma. Overtaken by sorrow and guilt, Jack has escaped deep into the mountains where he lives out of a pup tent and fights off daily impulses to end his life. As movies like this tend to do, we get flashbacks that fill us in on what drove Jack to such a troubling condition. Sconce means well and the early allusions to Ward’s past are handled well. But the later flashbacks get a little too on-the-nose.
While washing up in a mountain stream Jack is surprised by a young mute girl (Makenzie Sconce) who grabs his backpack and quickly runs away. After a short chase he catches the girl – holes in her clothes, lips chapped, dirt smeared across her face. Conveniently, Jack knows sign language so he learns the girl is on the run from a comically over-the-top antagonist Big Al (D.T. Carney). As you can probably guess, an inevitable bond forms between the tortured Jack and the traumatized young girl. But Big Al and his redneck goons are determined to find the girl, no matter what it takes.
The movie starts off on a pretty strong foot as it emphasizes Jack’s anguish and grounds us in his seclusion. The way Sconce shoots the scenic locations is nothing short of stunning, and the early scenes allow O’Reilly the space to convey his character’s pain and loose grip on life. And the first moments between Jack and the girl are effective in showing their shared fear and trepidation while also touching on our more human instincts of survival and companionship.
Sadly the film can’t stay on course as the script really struggles after the table-setting first act. It’s not just the story that suffers, but the characters too. While sweet on the surface and well intended, Jack’s sudden transformation from downcast and hopeless to chipper and playful is so abrupt that it doesn’t feel natural at all. And the dialogue during these scenes doesn’t exactly help. Their back-and-forths get pretty mushy and (I hate to say it) hokey to the point of cringe. It’s unfortunate.
Even worse, things really fall off once Sconce tries to rev up the action in the final 15 minutes or so. The framing of the shots, the weird use of slow-motion, the jarring way it clashes with the rest of the movie. Nothing about the “big” ending feels authentic. It almost seems copied and pasted from other thrillers. Without question, the budget has something to do with it, and you hate to knock a small indie like this that actually does several things well. But ultimately the movie can’t quite overcome its issues, and it can never get back on track once it loses its footing. “The Girl on the Mountain” is now streaming on VOD.
VERDICT – 2 STARS
Keith & the Movies 
Ah no. 2 stars isn’t enough to get me interested!
Sadly that’s about all I can give it. Starts good but really falls off.
Next…
Ha!! Indeed.
Watching this movie directed and written by Sconce has moved me to realize I might be able to be a director as well.
There were so many badly shot scenes and the dialogue is annoying at best.
Outside the beautiful shots of the wilderness – courtesy of Mother Nature – it is a 1 at best. The goons have several opportunities to kill both Jack and the girl but don’t do it for some reason.
At the end the goons are killed or run off but they leave their truck and turn off the lights so jack and the little girl can borrow the vehicle.
They
There are so many head-scratching moments in this. And it had so much potential!
Head scratching moments, like the moment the daughter suddenly decides to cross the street when the only car on the road is coming and she doesn’t hear it or see the bright lights coming at her until too late? Or the moment the mountain girl steals food and he chases after her and catches her after she conveniently falls, and his only concern is that she was stealing his food, nevermind the fact they are out in the middle of the wilderness and she looks lost and banged up? And he just walks away from her hoping she won’t follow him? WTF?! Or the moment he makes her sleep outside of the tent? This could’ve been good, but the writing needs to be better than a story that appears to be written by a middle schooler.
what the heck was the ending in… the waitress quickly departing and then the chuckle.
The scene in the diner at the end after the credits finished was weird
Weirder than the rest of the movie before it even…
I agree. It made no sense.
Weird doesn’t even begin to describe that scene. What is Jack holding? Why is waitress retreating in fear? What’s the meaning of the knowing look between Jack and the little girl? So many questions and absolutely no answers.
We thought that we were the only ppl, that saw the scene after the credits. What was that about. What’s up with that? Lol!
Anybody can make a movie with ugly and foul language which sadly is the norm from Hollywood. I find “Girl On The Mountain” a refreshing movie with great scenery and relief from God’s name not taken in vain.
True. The scenery is breathtaking. From the beauty of the heart and mind of God. The essence of beauty reveals a bit of the heart of God. Creation reveals the Creator. I often watch movies just for the scenery. It is twisted to worship the creation and not the creator. Thanks be to God, to God be the glory.
it was decent. Daniel O’Reilly kept it going for me. I don’t regret watching it
I didn’t stick around long enough to see the post-credits scene. Not going to take the time and effort to go back and find it.
The movie dragged for me. I’m all for movies which change up the pacing between action and dialog, but still, too slow. No sense of time between when Jack’s tragedies happened and when he came to the mountains. Long enough to grow a full beard I suppose. He’s been living out of a tent for how many months? So far out in the wilderness to be alone, but not so far that Aria can’t wander by him hiking. Not saying that a “musical conductor” can’t also have “camping/wilderness” skills… but… Also, when did he become all skilled at setting traps and noisemakers? Maybe when he was out in the wilderness growing his beard. And we’re left to assume that they just returned to civilization in a stolen vehicle leaving murdered bodies up in the mountains and blended back in with society? 1-2 stars for me too.
The first job of a conductor is to set the tempo for the orchestra so everyone stays together and knows where beat #1 is.
I don’t know what all his waving and flailing was at the beginning but there was no rhythm to it and certainly killed any suspension of disbelief for actual musicians.
tried so hard to like it … 1000 things were off. Seems like it never crossed its Tts— never played the two storylines together totally lack in reality. They say, the girl is deaf. How can she hear him speak/ how can she see his lips through that beard? in US we don’t teach metric we should thank you for passing on that one President Jimmy Carter… the father and his goons walk away into the woods with the car lights on, and no flashlights. What are the many to checking the concept points. Why would he ask about the father‘s friends doesn’t think he might have siblings or family —it sets itself up for questions w every chance it gets it’s like a story told by a sixth grader.
I agree with most of the criticisms but I’d still give it three stars for the overall experience. I expect very few folks saw the after credits scene especially the way streaming services oftentimes cut away from credits almost as soon as they begin. No loss, it made little sense to me.
what was the very last scene in the diner meant to show. The waitress sees the knife and suspects something bad. Then turns away.
Just watched this. The storyline was good. It had potential to be a great movie. But the 4 white trash people, I’ve seen better acting in cheap porn movies.